


Can They Feel the Love Tonight?

by ghostgirl19



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: AU with mostly canon compliance, But it all backfires spectacularly, F/M, Humor, Link is confused but doesn’t question anything, Romance, Zelda catches feelings and doesn’t know how to deal, Zelda plays matchmaker for Mipha and Link
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2020-05-28 10:07:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19391917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostgirl19/pseuds/ghostgirl19
Summary: Mipha asks Zelda for Link's measurements so she can make him the Zora armor. From there, Zelda learns about Mipha's feelings for Link, which sparks an idea in the Princess's mind.If her knight got married, then he wouldn't have time to follow her around anymore!Now all she has to do is play a little matchmaker. What could possibly go wrong?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I always wondered how that Zora armor fit Link so perfectly, since it'd be hard to get it exactly right just by looking, and especially since Link spent most of his time at the castle or running around with Zelda. Thus, Mipha would have to rely mostly on her memory for his size. However, Zelda would know Link's measurements since she made his Champion's tunic. This, coupled with a little inspiration from that scene in The Lion King 1 1/2 when Timon and Pumbaa try to break up Simba and Nala, was how this idea was born. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

“You want Link’s measurements?” Zelda repeated, more than a little confused by her fellow Champion’s request. “Why?”

Mipha lowered her head, her eyes downcast while her cheeks glowed as red as her fins. Her fingers nervously twisted themselves together. But as bashful as she appeared, her lips were still spread in a little smile.

“Well, you see, Princess,” she started, and finally looked Zelda in the eyes again. “There is a tradition for the Zora princesses. Before they get married, they each craft a set of armor for their future husbands. And, I…”

She paused, her cheeks gaining a fresh coating of red. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she further explained.

“I want to make one for Link. You see, I-”

“Wait, you and Link are courting?!” Zelda exclaimed, her mouth and eyes almost comically wide open. If anyone but Mipha was telling her this, she would have laughed in their faces at the absurdity of it.

After all, they were completely wrong for each other! Mipha was so sweet, she wore her heart on her sleeve and healed any wound with a gentle smile.

Link, on the other hand, had the emotional capabilities of a rock. He most definitely was not sweet. His heart was buried so deep it was nearly nonexistent. He killed—not healed—and never, not once, has she ever seen him smile.

So, to hear that they’re courting…it was purely ridiculous! Zelda just couldn’t comprehend how her silent, stoic knight could feel the stirrings of love in his…rock. Yes, it was a rock, not a heart, because rocks don’t feel things, like Link!

“Oh no, we’re not!” Mipha interjected, unintentionally causing Zelda to breathe a sigh of relief. “I haven’t told him how I feel. That’s why I want to make him the Zora armor, so I can express my feelings and propose.”

“P-p-propose?” Zelda sputtered. “You want to propose to Link? As in marriage? And babies?!”

Link…married. Link and Mipha living the domestic lifestyle, ruling over Zora’s Domain, with possible children. Did he even know how to have them? She didn’t think he was naïve, but he still had a rock for a heart. He’d surely look at the act as one born of duty and not of passion.

Although, she was curious of what a Zora and Hylian hybrid child would look like…

“Zelda!” Mipha squeaked, her blush intensifying ever more at Zelda’s last shocked exclamation. “You don’t have to say it like that, but yes, I wish to propose marriage to Link.”

“But why? Why would you do that to yourself?”

She pitied the poor woman who ended up stuck with him. Unfortunately, that poor woman may just be one of her dear friends. Unless she helped Mipha find her senses.

Mipha huffed. If Zelda didn’t know any better, she’d say that she looked angry.

“I’ve known him since he was four. He’s noble, strong, courageous, is skilled with any weapon, and is the hero chosen by the goddesses. He’d be a wonderful husband!”

Zelda supposed that Mipha expected her to see the error of her ways, and that what she just said would cause Zelda’s eyes to open and see Link’s worth as a husband. However, Zelda felt Mipha’s declaration was lacking something. She certainly was passionate enough about why she wanted to marry him, but there was still something missing.

All the attributes she listed about Link were true enough. He was noble, in the sense that he never said or did anything with malicious intent. He was only rude when he didn’t respond to people directly talking to him.

Strong and courageous, he was both of those things as well, as reluctant she was to admit it. He once ran in front of her without a moment’s hesitation in concern for his own life and deflected a guardian laser with naught but a weak, wooden pot lid. That had been the final catalyst for her father’s decision to appoint him as her knight.

He was indeed skilled with any weapon. She had seen his prowess with swords, spears, halberds, claymores, and bows and arrows. Why, she had even seen him parry an attack with a mop of all things.

And finally, he was the hero of the goddesses. While they seem to have forsaken her, he fully benefited from their blessings. He was the hero of destiny, the only one who could wield the legendary Master Sword, and their main force (besides the Divine Beasts) for defeating Calamity Ganon. He may not have a royal title, but being a Hero commanded respect from kings and queens alike.

With these qualities in mind alone, he was a man every woman would want for a husband. Zelda could only imagine how many women vied to be the Hero’s wife. She heard enough flustered whispers and giggles from her maids.

But if he did marry one of those women, it would likely be for all the wrong reasons. Did they really know him? Did he ever freely express himself to them? Let them see what lay beneath those calm waters?

He may be a rock, but she knew he had to have thoughts and opinions somewhere in that mysterious mind of his.

“Mipha,” Zelda murmured, “do you truly know-?”

And just like that, an idea hit her. Perhaps the goddesses had not forsaken her, after all!

If Link and Mipha married, then that would mean he wouldn’t have time to be her appointed knight anymore! He’d spend most of his time at Zora’s Domain, leaving Zelda to happily research in the wild to her heart’s content. No more constant staring at the back of her head, no more following her after explicitly telling him not to, no more awkward silences, and best of all, after the Calamity, she’d be rid of him forever!

Sure, they’d likely see each other at meetings and the like, but meetings between the other races were few and far in-between.

So what if Mipha didn’t really know Link? They were childhood friends; he couldn’t have changed all that much since pulling the sword, right? Besides, plenty of royals married first then got to know each other later. It wouldn’t be unusual. And as far as Zelda knew, King Dorephan approved of Link wholeheartedly and wouldn’t let a simple thing like a lack of a royal title come between the Hero and his daughter.

She could already feel the grass beneath her boots, the wind blowing through her hair, the sun shining on her face, a shrine looming in the distance waiting for her to investigate, being free from that infuriating silence and those judging eyes!

“Princess?” Mipha called in concern. “Zelda?”

She waved a hand in front of Zelda’s eyes. “Are you alright?”

“Yes!” Zelda chirped, coming out of her fantasy and feeling happier than she had ever felt in years. “Yes, I’m perfectly alright! You’re right; you and Link are absolutely perfect for each other. I can't think of a better pair!”

Mipha blushed. She didn’t expect her to change her opinion so quickly, but was glad, nonetheless.

“Here, let me get those measurements.”

Zelda turned around, fetched the notebook containing the measurements and designs for each of her Champions’ outfits, and promptly tore the page out concerning Link’s. She then practically thrust the page into Mipha’s face, causing the Zora to slightly stumble back before reaching out a hand to take it.

“There you go, all you need is on that page,” Zelda said, tapping it with a finger while Mipha held it in disbelief.

She was holding Link’s measurements. She was that much closer to crafting the armor and proposing. One step closer to marrying Link.

Why was she feeling so nervous all of a sudden?

“Now,” Zelda began, her smile dropping to match her serious tone. “I know you said you haven’t told him how you feel, but have you been giving him hints? Flirting?”

Zelda briefly worried about the amount of times that Mipha’s blood has rushed to her face within the past ten minutes. Could she pass out from that? Thankfully, she took a deep breath and the blush started to fade a little.

“Princess, I don’t-I can’t-I’m a princess-and-!”

Zelda sighed. This was going to be tougher than she thought.

“And Link? Any advances on his end?”

Mipha hung her head. “No. He doesn’t talk that much.”

Understatement of the century, Zelda thinks but doesn’t speak it.

“Well, you’re in luck, Mipha!” she said boldly, wrapping an arm around her Champion's shoulder. “Because I want to help you!”

“Help me?” she repeated, blinking. “Thank you, Princess. But how will you help me?”

“By playing matchmaker! I’ll think of the perfect plans to get you two alone together. You’ll charm him, he’ll charm you, then you propose, and then you get married and get rid of-er, ride off into the sunset with him to Zora’s Domain where you’ll live happily ever after!”

“Really?” Mipha gasped, her eyes wide in wonder and hope at the possibility. “Can it really be that easy?”

“Of course, it can! You’re beautiful, kind, a Champion, you can heal all his wounds, and you’ve known him since his childhood. Who else would he want to marry?”

Mipha glanced down at the page of Link’s measurements. Her fingers tightened, crinkling the page a bit. When she picked up her head, her golden eyes shone with a determination Zelda had only seen while she was piloting Vah Ruta.

“Let’s do it!”

Zelda grinned. She may have been doing this mostly for her own benefit, but two people would be happily in love and married in the end while she would have her freedom. It was entirely a win-win situation, nothing could go wrong!

“Unfortunately, since you’re going back to Zora’s Domain today, there isn’t much we can do here. But send word to me a few days after you get back that you’re having trouble with Vah Ruta. Naturally, my father will want me to go help you. And naturally, Link will be with me as my escort. Then, the plan will truly be in motion."


	2. Chapter 2

Zelda was brimming with ideas when she arrived at Zora’s Domain a week after Mipha left Hyrule Castle.

They ranged from the simple to the outrageously so intricate that they had no chance of happening. Either way, she couldn’t wait to tell Mipha about them. As she would be the one marrying Link, Zelda thought it was fair for Mipha to give the final approval for putting any plan into action.

Although, it would probably be best if she didn’t tell her the collective name concerning all these ideas. ‘Operation: Get Link Married and Out of My Life Forever’ wasn’t very flattering towards Mipha’s future husband.

Zelda went through the welcoming motions as best she could without making her eagerness too obvious. Other than smiling brighter than usual or slightly bouncing on her toes, there were no other indications of her excitement. At least, she hoped so. Her knight had looked at her strangely a few times while King Dorephan was welcoming them, but he didn’t say anything about it.

Not that he ever spoke, of course.

However, King Dorephan saw right through her attempt to hide her enthusiasm. Luckily, he wasn’t offended and instead of taking it as impatience, he chalked up her excitement towards seeing Vah Ruta.

Well, she was happy about that, yes. Any chance to work with the Sheikah ancient technology always exhilarated her. But this time, she was looking at the bigger picture during this visit. If everything went according to plan, she’d be able to see the Divine Beasts whenever she wanted without having a certain pair of judging eyes following her every move.

As soon as King Dorephan informed her and Link about the banquet later on that evening and entreated them to enjoy Zora’s Domain to their heart’s content, Zelda promptly snatched Mipha’s arm and the Zora Princess took them to a place where they wouldn’t be heard.

Coincidentally, that place happened to be inside Vah Ruta. Unless Link hitched a ride from a Zora across East Reservoir Lake, there was no way he’d interrupt their conversation. Besides, he’d probably be too busy to follow her. Last she saw, he was being dragged off by a group of impatient Zora children to play.

She didn’t have the heart to tell them that Link would never stoop so low as to _play with children_. Heroes never do something so infantile as _playing_. Oh, just imagine! The horror!

She could picture him now: standing stiff as a board and unsmiling while the children begged him to give them some attention, only to be coldly rejected by his silence. Good thing Mipha was so kind and loving; she’d have enough love for their future children to compensate for his lack thereof.

But this was no time to dwell on that. It wasn’t her problem, and if she lost focus, then there won’t be any future Mipha and Link Jr.’s running around.

“We’re going to start off simple,” Zelda began, and Mipha nodded, ready to hear the Princess’s next words and memorize them. “Be around him all you can. Talk to him, give him a few compliments, recall some fond childhood memories, anything like that. He’s bound to crack sometime and answer you. But be careful not to annoy him. Talk to him, but don’t buzz around him like a mosquito, okay?”

Mipha wondered how she’d be able to tell if she was annoying him in the first place. After all, Link never showed his emotions, so it was a mystery for anyone of how to tell he was either happy, sad, angry, or annoyed. Although, perhaps she could metaphorically place her fins in his boots and determine for herself whether she was annoying him?

Besides that little issue, Zelda’s idea didn’t seem too difficult to accomplish.

“Alright, I think I can do that.”

Zelda grinned. “Your father said that there’d be a banquet tonight in my honor. That’ll be the perfect time to make your move.”

Mipha nodded again in agreement. She could already picture it: sitting next to Link and after some prompting, getting him to finally drop his walls and speak freely to her like how he used to when they were younger.

She knew it would be a challenge. Since he became the keeper of the sword that seals the darkness, she felt he was ever looking past her, into the distance beyond. But surely the carefree boy who used to run wild around Zora’s Domain, getting himself hurt at every turn and coming to her for healing, was still in there somewhere, right?

If he wouldn’t drop his guard around his childhood friend, then who else would he confide in?

“I’ll try my best, Princess.”

“That’s all I’m asking,” Zelda replied with an easy smile. _Along with taking Link away and granting my freedom, of course_.

“Well, now that that’s settled, let’s take a look at Ruta. It can’t hurt to check if everything is in working order,” Zelda said, already taking the Sheikah Slate from her hip and activating it. “I’ll check the terminals, the main control unit, and the water flow before we leave for the banquet. Is that alright?”

“It’s perfectly alright,” Mipha replied. She had no problems with Zelda checking Ruta, and even if she had, she’d never voice them aloud. Zelda was going to help her marry Link; she’d let the Princess do whatever she pleased. She had already done enough by giving her Link’s measurements. Speaking of which…

“Oh, Princess,” she started, visibly brighter and walking with a bounce in her step as she peered over at Zelda walking next to her. “I’ve started planning the design of the armor. I think I shall make it blue, like this lake’s water. We’re both Champions, and this is where Ruta lies, so I believe this lake connects us in a way. I think it’ll also complement his eyes. What do you think?”

Well, her initial reasoning sounded incredibly romantic. She was right; her and Link were both tied to the lake in a way given her reasoning.

Unfortunately, Zelda failed to see how _that_ particular color of blue would complement his eyes.

Link’s eyes were not like the dark waters of the East Reservoir Lake. No, she thought they were more like the sky instead, or perhaps like the clear waters of Lake Hylia on a sunny day. It was that color blue she sought for the Champions’ garments when she was creating them. In fact, Link’s tunic brought out his eyes perfectly. The colors were a near-identical match.

Then again, why should she care what brings out his eyes and what doesn’t? They were always void of emotion anyway. They were so lifeless, unlike the sky and Lake Hylia.

Zelda was almost ashamed of herself for letting her thoughts wander like that. What could possibly have come over her? Maybe she should get more sleep instead of keeping awake all hours of the night researching the ancient technology. Perhaps then she wouldn’t muse on which blue brings out her stupid knight’s eyes.

If Mipha wanted the armor to be a dark blue, then she wouldn’t argue.

“I think that sounds wonderful, Mipha.”

* * *

Zelda liked King Dorephan. She really did. He was a benevolent and fair ruler, who was determined to help his people and ensure their safety and comfort. However, she wanted to curse him for the seating arrangement.

As King, he was seated at the head of the table. On his right sat the Crown Princess Mipha while his young son Sidon sat on his left. Zelda was on Mipha’s other side while Link sat opposite of her next to Sidon.

If only King Dorephan put _her_ next to Sidon! Then Mipha and Link would be together, and she could make her move! After all, it was considerably hard to have a private conversation when your partner wasn’t even sitting directly across from you.

To her credit though, Mipha tried.

She started by expressing how happy she was that he came to visit Zora’s Domain.

Never mind that Link was kind of forced to visit, since he had to accompany Zelda everywhere. But thankfully no one brought up that clarification.

Link merely looked at her, face as expressionless as ever, then nodded before returning to his creamy seafood soup. By how fast he was practically inhaling it, Zelda had to wonder if he ever stopped to breathe.

It was a blatant show of horrid table manners! Just what kind of ‘honorable’ man did her father appoint as her knight? Hylian Champion or not, he should at least have the decency to not eat like a barbarian.

Raising a spoonful of her own soup to her lips, Zelda shot him a reproachful look. But he was so engrossed in his meal that he didn’t even notice. Narrowing her eyes, she cleared her throat loudly enough to gain his attention.

Luckily her attempt worked. His spoon hung limply in his hand over the bowl as he shot his head up to look at her.

Zelda’s lips twisted into a scowl when he only slightly furrowed his eyebrows. Was he confused? Huh, so the rock was capable of expressing emotion after all.

Ignoring the revelation for now, she made a show of slowly dipping her spoon into the bowl before raising it to her lips. She made sure to eat as silently as possible, namely in the form of not slurping her soup as she had heard him do since the banquet started.

It seemed that her demonstration did the trick. Link’s eyes fell downcast to his bowl and the tips of his ears curiously turned slightly pink. He copied her previous actions and didn’t even slurp this time. Although, instead of being faster than everyone else, now he was eating significantly slower than them. But at least he was eating like a gentleman.

Satisfied, Zelda resumed eating her own soup.

“Princess,” she heard Mipha whisper. Thinking she was asking for advice, Zelda leaned her ear down closer to the Zora’s mouth.

“I think you made him sad.”

She paused. Was she serious?

“Made him sad?” Zelda repeated, scoffing quietly. “He doesn’t-”

_He doesn’t have feelings_ , is what she wanted to say, but she doubted Mipha would take that very well. It would not only be an insult towards the man she loved, but also an insult to their plan in general.

Zelda could think of any number of schemes, but all of them would ultimately fail if Link never felt love in his stone of a heart. And love was rumored to be the most powerful feeling of them all.

“He’s not sad,” she whispered back, effectively correcting her slip. “Besides, what was I supposed to do? If he’s going to be your King one day, he needs to have some etiquette!”

Mipha frowned, and for a moment Zelda thought the Zora would scold her for saying such a thing about her love. Zelda was more than ready to argue her point; kings had all eyes on them and thus needed to have table manners. It was common sense!

Whether Mipha didn’t want to go to the trouble of reprimanding her, or that she realized that she was right, Zelda wasn’t certain. Judging by the frown that was still marring her gentle features, Mipha was still troubled by it, but she kept silent on the matter.

Both princesses resumed their meals. Not long after, King Dorephan addressed Zelda, still as jovial as ever. Was he really so oblivious to the tense silence currently happening at the head of the table?

“Princess, how goes Vah Ruta? I pray she is now working as she should? Mipha expressed to me a recent problem she was facing with controlling the Divine Beast.”

Zelda cleared her throat. “Yes, Your Majesty. I was able to fix the problem.”

As soon as she said the words, she felt dirty for lying to the kind king. Dishonesty was the last thing the generous Zora deserved. However, if she wanted her plan to work, she supposed that some lying would unfortunately be required. But it was for a good cause; if everything worked out then his daughter would be married to the love of her life. He could step down and be relieved to have a king and queen ruling Zora’s Domain side by side to take his place. He could even be a grandfather!

Besides, they often say that the end justifies the means.

“But,” she added, “I was hoping if I could entreat upon your hospitality just a while longer to check if everything else is in working order.”

Another lie. She knew everything was in working order; she just got done checking before the banquet! But she still had plenty of schemes to do and wondered how much time she could be given to complete them and finally get the ball rolling on Link and Mipha’s wedding.

“Of course!” Dorephan boomed, the sudden sound causing her to flinch a bit. No one else reacted, except for Link who simply gazed at her for a few moments longer than necessary before returning his attention to the Zora King.

“Take all the time you need,” he said, then gestured with a large hand over the banquet table. “You are welcome to stay in Zora’s Domain for as long as you like.”

Zelda smiled and humbly thanked him for his generosity but assured him that the work with Ruta would only take another day or two. She didn’t want to overstay her welcome, despite what the King said otherwise.

Although, a part of her wished she could’ve taken his offer to the fullest extent and stay here for the rest of her days. Everything was so peaceful here with no whispers of a failure of a princess and the looming return of Calamity Ganon.

She doubted King Dorephan pressured his daughter to pray like her own did. She firmly believed that even if Mipha hadn’t unlocked her healing power, the Zora King wouldn’t have continually scolded and looked down on her for it.

Like her own father did.

The dinner lasted for two more hours. Overall, her dinner plan was completely botched by the seating arrangement. Link and Mipha didn’t talk at all save for a few questions about his wellbeing since his last visit to Zora’s Domain, to which he would either shrug or nod his head.

Finally, the King announced that he would be retiring for the night. As he stood, Mipha did as well. Sidon had left during the previous hour since it was getting rather late to stay awake for a child. It didn’t help that he fell asleep on Link’s lap before being carried away by one of the Zora servants.

That was still something that surprised Zelda. Link allowed a sleepy, vulnerable child to rest on his heroic lap! She wondered if he did it out of the supposed kindness of his heart or if the sword told him to do it. Either way, she had to admit that it was a sweet gesture and one that was appreciated by Sidon’s father and big sister.

Zelda swore she saw hearts light up in Mipha’s eyes when she saw Link gently situate Sidon from off the table to his temporary spot on his lap. No doubt she was envisioning Link doing the same thing with their own children one day.

The table was soon cleared after the King and Princess left. The guests began to dispense and after conversing with a few councilmen, Zelda made her way to the guest chambers. She walked past her knight into the room and shut the door without so much as a good night. What was the point if he wouldn’t return the sentiment?

It wasn't long after that she head the tell-tale thump against her door, signaling that Link has sat down and was resting his head against it. He was offered his own room, but declined it in favor of guarding her door as she slept.

Seriously, what was wrong with him? Why would he pass up the chance of sleeping on a bed in favor of sleeping on the cold, hard ground? Wouldn’t his butt and back hurt from that in the morning? Sometimes she wondered if he was a Hylian at all and not a machine created by the Sheikah programmed to solely fight the Calamity.

Huh. That would explain a lot actually…

She shook her head. Now wasn’t the time for ridiculous theories. This was the time for scheming, and Zelda was already cooking another up as she got ready to sleep for the night.

_Even if he is a Sheikah machine, that is one piece of the ancient technology I don’t want to research._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’re wondering how King Dorephan could comfortably eat at the same table as the smaller Zoras and 2 Hylians, I like to think he has a place at the head of the table that’s lower to the ground, thus allowing him to eat and converse with his subjects and guests. Otherwise you’re free to use your imagination for how it would happen.
> 
> Also, I imagine that there’d be a special guest room for the Crown Princess of Hyrule. While the bed on the East Reservoir dock looks like a peaceful place to sleep, it’s rather isolated from the rest of Zora’s Domain. Plus, I don’t think Link would appreciate the area around the bed being so open, as an attack could happen from all sides. And I don't believe the Zoras would allow a royal to sleep at the inn either.


	3. Chapter 3

“This is no problem at all. It doesn’t matter that our first plan didn’t work. After all, today is a new day! We must try until we succeed, right?”

The next morning, Zelda found herself attempting to cheer up the disheartened Zora Champion. After the previous night’s failure, Mipha was nearly hopeless. If she couldn’t maintain a conversation with Link over dinner, how will she ever get close enough to him so that he would fall in love with her and accept her marriage proposal?

Of course, Zelda was quick to argue that it wasn’t Mipha’s fault at all. It was entirely whoever had designed the seating arrangement’s doing.

“If you were sitting next to or across from him, the conversation between you two would have been flowing like the waters in Zora River,” Zelda assured with a confident grin.

Mipha appreciated Zelda trying to encourage her, but to be honest, she doubted her last claim. If Link had really wanted to speak with her, he wouldn’t have let a mere seating arrangement stop him. He never let anything get in the way of accomplishing his goals; that was just who he was.

It was a characteristic that she both loved and hated about him, depending on the chances of injury on his end.

Nonetheless, Mipha kept silent on her doubts. She didn’t think Zelda would wish to hear them, since it was clear that last night had only made her more determined to achieve success. She wouldn’t let one little failure stop her.

Come to think of it, Link and Zelda were perhaps similar in that way. As Mipha had gradually gotten to know her, she recognized that tenacity was simply a part of her personality. For better or for worse, Zelda never quit on anything.

Just like Link.

Mipha forced herself to smile. It was already bad enough that she noticed just how much time Link would be spending with Zelda since his appointment as her personal knight; she didn’t need to start thinking of similarities between the two and how compatible that might make them.

Then again, it was no secret that Zelda regarded Link with utter contempt. She remembered the ceremony that was, quite honestly, one of the most painful ones to endure. Urbosa’s words only served to remind everyone of the obvious tension in the air…

_“That boy is a living reminder of her own failures. Well, at least that’s how the princess sees him.”_

So, until Zelda got her sealing powers, she would dislike Link. Would it be selfish if Mipha wished that Zelda wouldn’t get them at all?

No! What was she thinking?! Hyrule needed Zelda’s power to seal away Ganon. How could she think such a foolish, self-centered thought? How could she be so cruel to want that, knowing of Zelda’s struggles to unlock her power?

All those nights spent in cold waters in freezing springs, praying to a goddess who never answers. All the days spent walking around her castle, likely catching whispered doubts about their kingdom’s fate.

No, Mipha didn’t want that for Zelda at all. Even if it costed her Link, Mipha never wanted to see Zelda suffer.

Besides, it wouldn’t be as if in the moment when Zelda unlocked her powers, that she’d immediately fall for Link and abandon her plan of getting him and Mipha together.

She also had to consider Link, and how he was entirely devoted to his sworn duty to Zelda. He was her knight and she his princess; he would never cross that precarious line of duty and love with her. He would likely be imprisoned, if not worse, if he allowed himself to become romantically involved with her. Knights and princesses didn’t get married.

Except in her case. 

Her father already approved of Link, thus she had nothing holding her back. With that thought in mind, Mipha smiled and asked Zelda what her new plan to capture Link’s heart would be.

“Let’s go for a more direct approach,” Zelda decided, her smile fading as it always did whenever she got serious. “After we leave Ruta, you’re going to walk right up to him and talk. He’s bound to say something after a while.”

“But Princess, won’t he be with you? He never leaves your side, after all.”

Mipha willed the sharp stab of jealousy that pierced her heart away. Didn’t she just decide that she had nothing to worry about?

“Which is why I’m going to leave you two alone together. I’ll stay close enough so that I’m not completely out of his sight,” Zelda said, spoken with an annoyed undertone complete with a barely-restrained eye roll. “But for the most part you’ll be alone with him and you can talk. And then, we can enact the next part of our plan.”

“Next part?” Mipha questioned. She thought talking to Link was challenging enough for one day. What else could Zelda have planned?

“Yes, and it’s a common plot in many romances.” She grinned. “Make him jealous.”

“Make him jealous?” Mipha repeated. The skin above her eyes crinkled together, showing her confusion. “But he’s already the best fighter in the kingdom. How can we make him jealous?”

_He can’t be the best fighter; there must be_ **someone** _better than him!_

…was what Zelda almost yelled. It was on the tip of her tongue, ready to fire upon the unsuspecting Zora. But saying that would practically guarantee Mipha’s anger, not to mention it would reveal just how much she truly disliked her knight.

The only ones who were aware of that were Urbosa and her diary.

The people were already worried for her lack of sealing power. Imagine how they would feel if they found out that their Hero and Princess weren’t as united as they thought?

Zelda managed to push the bitter thoughts away for now. After all, they’d undoubtedly come back at some point during a sleepless night, as they tended to. For now, she needed to help Mipha, which would in turn help herself in the end.

“I don’t mean to make him jealous of your fighting,” she explained, grinning as she could already see the plan being carried out in her mind. “I mean to make him jealous in the romantic sense.”

Mipha’s eyes grew wider as she blushed. The idea of Link becoming jealous over her was enough to get her heart beating faster than the speed of which she could scale a waterfall.

She had never seen Link jealous before; how would he react? Would he be as fierce as he is in battle, charging headfirst into the situation without question and separate them? Or would he stew silently in his anger and watch from afar, then catch her when she’d be alone to make his feelings clear?

She could picture it in her mind. She’d be walking somewhere alone, without any guards or other Zora nearby. Suddenly, a hand would latch around her wrist and pull her into a darkened corridor. She’d peer up in shock, only to be met with Link’s teeth bared in a snarl and blue eyes sparking furiously.

Without a word, he’d grip her waist with those hands roughened from his years of training and pull her to him. She’d gasp, and then he would take that opportunity to claim what was his by kissing her so fiercely that her legs would weaken and she wouldn’t be able to think about any other man, let alone the imaginary Zora male she had been talking to earlier that day.

So absorbed in her fantasy, she almost missed Zelda calling her name.

“Mipha? Are you alright? We don’t have to do it if you’re uncomfortable, I just thought-”

She promptly snapped out of the daydream, hoping her face didn’t display the heat she was currently feeling. When Mipha looked at her, Zelda was yet again reminded of the determination and willpower that she always displayed when piloting Ruta.

“How do we do it?”

Zelda grinned, appreciating how fast the Zora made up her mind.

“First, you’re going to spend a long time talking with Link today. Try to incorporate last night’s dinner ideas for this: compliment him and bring up childhood memories, but feel free to explore other topics. And then, I want you to walk away and talk to the first attractive Zora you see. After showering him with attention for so long and then running off to another man, Link will undoubtedly be jealous. He’ll have no choice but to court you if he doesn’t want to risk losing you to someone else.”

“Do you really believe this can work?”

“Oh, it’ll work,” Zelda replied, her smirk growing by the second.

All Link needed was the right push to bring out his emotion to action. Jealousy was an incredibly potent feeling; Link would truly have to be a rock to look at Mipha talking to another man and not react in some way.

_Unless he doesn’t love her…_

Zelda pushed that doubt out of her head. Link _had_ to be in love with Mipha, or at least feel the stirrings of love in his heart for her. How could he not love the girl he was so close to during his childhood, who healed his wounds at every turn?

Who else could he love?

She is sure this is going to work.

* * *

Zelda is unsure if this is going to work.

For the most part, Mipha was doing her best of carrying on a conversation with a statue. From her place on the eastern bridge leading out of Zora’s Domain, Zelda could see Mipha and Link underneath the small terrace, the former leaning towards him and smiling brightly while the latter merely gave her either a nod or shake of the head.

And those were the times where he was paying attention to Mipha. Over the course of the hour, Zelda had the displeasure of locking eyes with him several times. Now, she could understand him occasionally glancing over at her, since he was her appointed knight and no matter how much she protested, it was his job to watch over her and protect her.

But to constantly peer over at her and practically ignore the poor girl desperate for just an ounce of his attention? It was enough to get Zelda’s blood boiling. She wanted nothing more than to slap Link upside the head and demand he pay attention to Mipha.

Maybe it was time to go into Phase Two.

While Link was looking at her, Zelda looked past him and was able to catch Mipha’s worried gaze. Well, no wonder she was nervous. So far the plan was a total bust.

But there was a chance that they could still win this. Zelda slightly lowered her chin, a subtle nod which served as the signal to initiate the other half of the plan.

Mipha’s eyes widened, and Zelda could practically _hear_ what she was trying to convey.

_Are you sure? This hasn’t been working at all; there’s no way that he’ll be jealous._

Zelda furrowed her eyebrows.

_Do it now._

Mipha’s shoulders slumped, but she obediently started to search for her target. A moment later she was slowly walking up to a Zora guard, her hands clasped tightly behind her back. It was the only indication she gave of her nerves.

After seeing Mipha and the guard talking, Zelda shifted her attention back to Link and glared, hoping he would understand her message as easily as Mipha did.

_Stop looking at me._

Surprisingly he got the hint. Perhaps some brain came with all that brawn, after all. Hopefully now he’d see what was right in front of him and unknowingly do his part in the rest of the plan.

“Excuse me, Your Highness?”

Zelda flinched, startled out of her thoughts. Turning quickly, she saw that a Zora guard was speaking to her. He was much taller than her; Zelda had to crane her neck almost impossibly up to see him. His scales and fins were a light gray, and as Zelda peered closer, she could see a faint scar on the side of his head. Slit, yellow eyes gleamed down at her as his mouth stretched into a wide smile, showcasing an array of teeth that—with a shudder—reminded her of a shark’s. He wore the traditional armor a member of the Zora guard would wear and gripped a sharp, two-tipped spear in his right hand.

She might have thought him to be handsome, if she was attracted to Zora men. But she couldn’t deny that he was rather pleasing to the eyes.

Having her fill of studying him, she raised her chin and smiled expectantly.

“Yes?”

He bowed at the waist before rising again to answer her.

“I beg your pardon, but I was wondering if you had need of anything, since you were standing there doing…” At this, his smile dimmed, and he glanced away from her. “Doing…”

“Nothing?” she supplied with a curl of her lips. There was something amusing about the tall, gallant guard losing his confidence over not knowing what to say without offending her.

The Zora chuckled, relieved he didn’t incite the princess’s anger.

“Sorry, Princess, but I couldn’t help but notice. Are you alright; do you require anything?”

“Thank you, but I am fine and not in need of anything at the moment.” She tilted her head, regarding the Zora anew. He seemed nice enough and not in a hurry to go anywhere, and she needed someone to occupy her time with as Mipha worked her magic with Link. She couldn’t just sit and stare at them throughout the whole day. Perhaps this guard could be a temporary friend?

“What is your name?”

He bowed deeply with a grin.

“Jidayn, Your Highness.”

* * *

Mipha found herself giggling yet again at the guard’s latest joke. She may have initially targeted him as bait to draw out Link’s jealousy, but as the minutes dragged on she had to admit that she was enjoying her time with the guard.

Speaking of Link…

Curiously, she peered over her shoulder towards the object of her affections, only for her smile to dim at what she saw.

Link was glaring, his lips twisted into a harsh scowl, but it wasn’t aimed at the guard she was talking to. No, his look of ire was directed solely on another guard, one who was talking animatedly to a riveted Zelda. She was smiling and nodding along to every word he spoke, sometimes even laughing at something he said.

Link’s eyes narrowed to slits, his hands clenching around the pommel of the Master Sword that was drawn and pointed to the ground. If his gloves weren’t covering his knuckles, Mipha would’ve guessed they were white from his ever-tightening grip.

She sighed, realizing this plan resulted in yet another failure. If Link was too angry about a stranger he didn’t get a chance to deem safe enough for Zelda to converse with getting too close to her, then there was no more use carrying out this ploy.

As she bid farewell to the guard she was previously speaking to, she tried to ignore the part of her heart, that knew deep, deep down, the true reason why Link was upset. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan for the next chapter to be longer, Zelda is about to have one more trick up her sleeve before leaving Zora's Domain ;)


End file.
